h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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My idea is to build a miniaturized phalanx antimissile defense system to be used against RPGs and other small arms missiles. This device could be implemented on helicopters, ground vehicles and possibly even carried by infantry and set up in predetermined operating locations.
The system could use satellites
in space, surveillance drones and aircraft, and an onboard high-resolution short-range radar/infrared/ heat and other detection systems to accurately fire multiple low caliber rounds at a high rate of fire at the oncoming projectile, or potentially in the future it could use a laser beam or other methods of interfering with the missile. I believe it would be really nifty if you could get the missile to reverse itself and go back to where it was fired. This system could save the lives of many while fighting in Iraq. I believe there has got to be someway to defend helicopters and people from optically aimed rockets and other weapons, this is why this invention idea would be useful.
Metal Storm
http://www.metalstorm.com
[theircompetitor, Oct 04 2004]
Trophy active protection system
http://en.wikipedia...e_protection_system
This idea, baked in the real world, pretty much as described. [Custardguts, Jan 18 2013]
Shamless Self Promotion
CIWS-Safe
A way to minimize the accidental overshoot-problem. [MechE, Jan 18 2013]
[link]
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Croissant for your intentions, fishbone for your implementation. Were these phalanx cannons mounted on every humvee, Bradley and Abrams in Iraq, they would pose a greater danger to our own forces than the RPGs do. |
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Phalanx cannons work well on ships against anti-ship missiles because because the missiles can be tracked at long range, giving the crew sufficient time for threat assessment and response planning. |
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On a smaller scale, RPG attacks take perhaps one second between the launch of the projectile and impact. This is not sufficient time to ensure that the field of fire for the phalanx cannon is clear of friendly forces. Furthermore, multiple cannons would be required to cover each possible direction of attack, dramatically increasing the risk of unwanted casualties. |
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As an alternative, perhaps we could train more skeet shooters in the army, and equip them with large-gauge shotguns that fire depleted uranium buckshot. |
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A computer is more accurate at shooting then a human, that idea with the skeet shooters isnt bad, but with a computer fire control system it may be good. you may only need one or two rounds to take out an RPG with the depleted uranium buckshot and it wouldnt be dangerous if you only shot one or 2 rounds in the direction, the soldiers could carry transponders on them so if there are any in the way the computer would compensate for that and calculate whether it is viable to shoot at the missle and possibly injuring one soldier to save 10 in a vehicle, or if there are 20 soldiers in the way then it wont shoot because less would be killed if the RPG actually hits. |
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Another system that could be implimented is a computer controled sniper rifle. It would use a thermal imaging system at night or a dual camera 3D image recognition system to shoot the RPG shooter and snipe out the shooter of the RPG so then the threat is eliminated, a grenade could also be fired at the exact location of the shooter of the RPG if he is hiding behind a barracade, as well the new pre set time delayed fuse grenades that can blow up over a baracade to take out the people underneath the mid air explosion could also be implemented. |
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Ever see a Phalanx fire? Do you know what goes into making one work? Do you realize you're indiscriminately throwing bullets around, 90%* of which will not hit their intended target? |
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Back when I was in the Navy, the carrier I was on was conducting exercises with a few other ships. One of the exercises was tracking and killing a drone aircraft being towed by a plane. The drone passed between two of the ships in the exercise and one ship's Phalanx took out the other ship's bridge, killing three people. Phalanx is cool, but it ain't too bright. |
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*Made-up statistic. Replace with "many" if you like. |
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Interesting. I have been thinking about the same idea recently and discovered halfbakery as a result of my search for information. So Joe, I like it. The problems are solvable. Computers today are about a million times (made up statistic) more powerful than they were in 1977 when Phalanx was introduced (isn't the internet great for getting these little statistical gems). It should be possible to track friendlies continuously so that when a threat does appear, the response can be nearly instantaneous. A shotgun concept - short range - would also minimize the potential for collateral damage while maximizing the possiblity of a hit. I think the system could be designed to aim and fire in a second by using a high speed radar and computer to identify the unique ballistic signature of an RPG. The need is great. |
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What is the range of an RPG? How fast does it go? How long does it take to physically aim the guns at the missile? |
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Seems a bit unlikely to work, but I could be wrong. |
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This is one of the things Metal Storm is hoping to do. Dangerous or no this probably will be baked within the next ten years if it's at all feasable. |
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Broken link, homes. Isn't the Metal Storm that array of barrels that projects a wall of lead at things? Has some rate of fire in the realm of 1 million RPM or something? |
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<edit> Oh yeah - that thing rocks! I remember that thing now. |
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I knew I heard it before, made use of in John Ringo's posleen books. Didn't realise they were real. Heh. |
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They want to use THAT to shoot down incoming RPGs? Thats gotta be a friendly fire accident waiting to happen. |
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I was thinking along the same lines as
[morrison rm] when I got to the end of
this idea. I envision an antirocket
device that shoots compressed balls
full of helium. On exiting the gun they
inflate to a neutral buoyancy and hang
in the air. The antiRPG gun thus leaves
a cloud of slow
moving rubber balls in its wake,
through which the RPG must plow. |
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These slow moving rubber balls would
be printed with moral exhortations in
the
local language, with the expectation
that they would be collected and used
for toys after falling to earth. |
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Better to just kill the RPG gunner. |
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electronic countermeasures anyone? |
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See link to Israeli trophy active protection system. Pretty much as described by [Joe] in 2003. It's the successor to Iron Hand, which was well into development in 2003, but probably wasn't WKTE. |
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Yes, friendly fire is a big risk with these systems, but if you read the wiki article and do more research, you'll see that the threat differentiation is a key element, and it won't fire on a missile that isn't going to hit, although it does give the onboard fire controller a new target... |
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Real starwars stuff, and being battle tested (and seeming quite successful) right now. |
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This is an excellent Idea. [+] |
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I see one reason why it might not have been
developed already. On a helicopter it will most
likely
be shooting downwards. Friendly fire might be an
issue there.
The bullet may miss the intended target and hit a
non-target around or beyond the target.
A non-target may pass in front of the target and
be hit with a bullet aimed at the target.
The bullet may pass through the intended target
and hit a non-target beyond it, so called
"overpenetration" |
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Try an electromagnetic pulse or a high pressure
shock
wave of sorts. Just a thought |
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MechE, Brilliant link [+] |
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